Monday, July 25, 2016

Another read-a-thon has come to an end. Sad times. Now we must wait until FrightFall in October (although I'm sure there will be other read-a-thons around the blogosphere...I hope so).

I hope everyone enjoyed the read-a-thon and accomplished what you wanted to. Even if you didn't, I hope it was a lot of fun. I love all my participants...I think we have a wonderful read-a-thon community.

I'd like to thank Devon at Howes Books for hosting her fun mini-challenge. I'd also like to thank all of the authors who so generously donated our spectacular prizes. I think a round of applause is in order.

Be sure to add your wrap-up link to the linky below, and that your have filled out the Google form on the prize page if you would like to enter to win prizes. Prize page is here.

The FrightFall Read-a-Thon will be October 3 - 9. The button is below. I will be adding it to the sidebar with the grab code soon. Also, stop by my blog Castle Macabre in September and October for Gothic Septemberand Season of the Witch. I'm hosting a read-a-long of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs for Gothic September and we'll be reading stories from Edgar Allan Poe and H.P Lovecraft during Season of the Witch.

Thanks to everyone who joined me for the read-a-thon! I hope to see you next time...and remember...our Facebook group is always open for reading discussion and commentary.

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Thursday, July 21, 2016

Time for our halfway point check-in! How is your reading going? Any books that have been absolutely astounding? Feel free to share in the comments, or leave a link to your blog post update. You can also update us in the group on Facebook, or on Twitter.

The prize page is posted and we have some awesome prizes this time. Be sure to check it out and fill out the Google form if you intend to share your wrap up at the end and would like to enter the giveaway. Check out the post here.

I'm reading Mayan Blue by Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason and I feel like I'm smack dab in the middle of a horror movie. I LOVE it!

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

This is the prize promotion page for all the prizes being given away for the read-a-thon. We have several amazing book prizes donated from some very generous authors...and me! At the end of this post, you will find details regarding how the prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the read-a-thon. You will also find the form to fill out if you're interested in winning a prize.

Note: The fine authors who so generously donated books would greatly appreciate a review, if you win, on your blog and/or on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you!

(WINNERS - DEVON, LIZ, RACHEL)

Yosemite Rising: A Zombie Novel by Julie Dawn 1 2 3 eBook copies {All formats - International} ) A legend that will change the world.
It’s been 150 years since the Ahwahnee Indians lived where Yosemite National Park now stands. Their last surviving Chief appears to Elizabeth Hutchings, a twenty-year-old biology student, the very day her parents die. Within 24 hours, she too is clinging to life as his whispers echo in her thoughts.

An ancient prophecy has begun. A plague rips through the world’s population, taking everyone and everything she has ever cared about. As agents of a mysterious organization called Meadowlark hunt her, she must find the strength to fight the infected even as she struggles to keep herself alive.

Just when she thinks she can’t go on, a man from her past arrives. He holds the key to understanding the prophecy. If she can unravel its secrets, she not only may change her own fate—but the fate of the entire world.

About the author

Julie Dawn grew up in southern Jersey, spending the summers collecting bee stingers in her feet. After graduating from Richard Stockton College, she dipped her toes in the environmental field for a few years, got married, moved to North Carolina, and finally got to become a mom. Four years of living in state parks was enough to make her relocate to the Oregon Coast. Under bright stars, she started writing again, determined to change the world one story at a time.

"You always save the best lies for yourself." Something has moved into the Amador Hotel. Hector, Marcos, Bev, and Tony of the Paranormal Posse are called in to either debunk the haunting or get rid of whatever is causing the problems. With the surprise arrival of Hector's son, he tries to keep his professional and personal lives separate, but whatever is haunting the Amador Hotel has other plans.

Finalist in Horror Contest 2013

Self-e Library Program (Ohio)

WINNER - AUTUMN

Sacrifice by Coral Russell One eBook copy - International

"Live for God. Live for your mother. Die for your gang."
When Mexican drug cartels fight for control along the border, Juarez becomes the murder capital of the world. In El Paso, Texas it's drug business as usual: a grifter sets out to buy her freedom, a car salesman runs drugs to make his fortune, a gang leader battles to rise among the ranks of the cartel, and a detective and his wife are ripped apart by a family secret. Everyone's fate lies in the hands of an old woman. Will she let the past die with her or take revenge the only way she knows how? Best of 2013 by Indie Reader
Library Journal's Self-e Program in Ohio

The Regrets of Cyrus Dodd by Bette Lee CrosbyOne eBook copy - International
Revenge, death, deception... These are the things Cyrus Dodd has to overcome if he is to give Ruth the life he's promised her. The problem is he's got a prideful nature and when a seemingly innocuous argument leads to a bitter feud with his neighbor, his life changes forever. The plans he has falls by the wayside and before he finds a way to fix it, he comes to understand the meaning of regret.

In this early twentieth century family saga, two men come up against each other--both are iron-willed and stubborn. One will lose his farm; the other will lose his family. In a tale of betrayal, murder and revenge two West Virginia farmers will discover that being right does not necessarily mean being happy.

Believing he has lost everything Cyrus Dodd is forced to start over. He promises Ruth that this time it will be better, but the truth is he doesn't know if it's a promise he can keep.

Samantha from Reader's Favorite raves, "Crosby writes the type of book you can't stop thinking about long after you put it down."

"Storytelling is in my blood," Crosby laughingly admits, "My mom was not a writer, but she was a captivating storyteller, so I find myself using bits and pieces of her voice in most everything I write."

It is the wit and wisdom of that Southern Mama Crosby brings to her works of fiction; the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away. Her work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. She has since gone on to win nineteen awards for her work; these include: The Royal Palm Literary Award, the FPA President's Book Award Gold Medal, Reader's Favorite Award Gold Medal, and the Reviewer's Choice Award.

Crosby's published works to date are: Baby Girl (2016), What the Heart Remembers (2015), The Loft (2015), Memory House (2015), Passing through Perfect (2015), Wishing for Wonderful (2014), Blueberry Hill (2014), Previously Loved Treasures (2014), Jubilee's Journey (2013), What Matters Most (2013), The Twelfth Child (2012), Life in the Land of IS (2012), Cracks in the Sidewalk (2011), Spare Change (2011).

Jane Austen meets Lara Croft: a paranormal detective refuses to let danger and death inconvenience her in colonial Kenya.

Armed with Victorian etiquette, a fully loaded walking stick and a dead husband, Beatrice Knight arrives in colonial Kenya desperate for a pot of tea and a pinch of cinnamon. But she’ll need more than that if she’s to unravel the mystery of the Ghosts of Tsavo without being eaten in the process. She must endure all manner of inconveniences while surviving the machinations of her best friend’s dashing godfather and the efforts of her safari guide to feed her to any lion willing to drag her away. What is a ghost-chasing widow to do?

About the author

I’ve been a writer since I could hold pen to paper, which is a lot longer than I care to admit.

When I’m not writing, teaching wellness courses or daydreaming about African ghosts and myths, I pretend to work as an environmental consultant. Don’t you just hate it when work gets in the way?!

My first story was about a naughty unicorn. I wrote it out by hand when I was seven years old (this was way before the computer got personal). I illustrated every page with candy-coloured pencil crayons.

It was the first and last time I did my own cover art.

I always hesitate when people ask me where I’m from. There’s no one-word answer to that. Born in South Africa and raised in Canada, I’ve lived in Kenya since mid-2000 with my husband, our two children and other amusing animals. If you want to hear how I sound like in real life, check out this interview:

Rain and Raven Medici are identical twins. Although they come from a loving close-knit family their childhoods couldn’t have been more different. Raven went to school and was exposed freely to the outside world. Rain on the other hand was born with a blood disorder and denied many normal childhood experiences.

Once grown, Raven becomes a lawyer at their dad’s firm Kane & Medici in NYC. Rain along with her only childhood friend Tommy Conte, builds a very successful business as professional photographers. Traveling between Europe and Manhattan, and enjoying a world that was kept from her, Rain vows never to be controlled again.

Dominick Kane is a product of his upbringing. He’s powerful, self-assured and knows he can achieve anything he desires. Nothing gets in his way. There is only one thing he has ever failed at. A relationship with his father Vincent Kane. Upon his father’s death, Dominick vows revenge. The events he sets in motion put him on a collision course he himself will be unable to control.

In a bizarre twist of fate, Dominick kidnaps Raven as part of his plan for revenge. Only to discover afterward, he has taken Rain by mistake. Rain knows she can never survive being confined again. So she strikes a bargain with the devil and agrees to help Dominick get back what he feels rightly belongs to him. His father’s share of Kane & Medici.

Dominick decides to use the strong attraction growing between Rain and himself to control her in every way imaginable. Too bad no one ever taught Dominick you can’t control the heart. Nothing could have prepared him for the effect Rain would have on his.

Will this plan of revenge turn into unconditional love? Or will Dominick and Rain’s need for control ultimately destroy them and any possible chance for a real future together…………...

Identity, Book 2

People aren’t always who you believe them to be.

Dominick Kane and Rain Medici started their relationship with one another in the most unconventional way.

He kidnapped her.

With the kidnapping now behind them, life returns to normal, right?

Not a chance.

The push, the pull and their fights for control that we’ve come to love about Dominick and Rain still exist. And so does their passion.

People aren’t who you think they are. Familiar faces are not so familiar. The past and the present collide, opening up all of those old wounds and struggles once again.

Now, everything you thought you knew, gets blown out of the water.

Can Dominick and Rain finally heal what’s broken? Or will new discoveries push them even further apart.

Will love win out and bring them back together? Or will ghosts of the past ultimately destroy their love once and for all...

The Ties That Bind, Book 3

When Rain Medici was taken, she never thought in a million years that her captor would be the man of her dreams, but he was.

Dominick Kane kidnapped his enemy's daughter. He had no idea that his victim would be the one woman to capture his empty heart, but she did.

It’s been one full year since the kidnapping that brought Dominick and Rain together. In that time, they struggled with many emotions and fought constant obstacles. They discovered new identities, faced ghosts from their pasts and attacks against their family, that to this day remain unsolved.

Yet, regardless of the unexpected challenges, some self-inflicted, Dominick and Rain always knew that their undying love for each other had gotten them through everything.

But then… the unimaginable happened.

Dominick was arrested.

The charge?

The apparent kidnapping of his wife, Rain Medici.

Now, the couple faced a whole new set of challenges. Challenges that brought their pasts forward once again and others which forced each of them to examine who they really were and what they had become.

Dominick and Rain’s future hung in the balance. They were in the fight of their lives. Would it make them even stronger than before? Or would the delicate threads that held them together…in the end, ultimately pull them apart?

About the author

As far back as I can remember, I've loved books. I love reading them and finally, I've admitted to myself that I love to write them.

Since the day I started to write Rain and Dominick's story, I've never looked back, nor do I regret one single moment of it.

When I write, much of the time the story plays in my head as a movie and sometimes even includes background music. We can all use a little background music.

I try to add elements of things I love. And share them with the readers. I'll continue to create characters and stories that you can laugh, cry, love, hate and even become slightly crazy about.

WINNER - VONNIECall to Juno by Elisabeth StorrsOne eBook copy"An elegant, impeccably researched exploration of early Rome and their lesser known enemies, the Etruscans. The torments of war, love, family, and faith are explored by narrators on both sides of the conflict as their cities rush toward a shattering, heart-wrenching show-down. Elisabeth Storrs weaves a wonderful tale!" --Kate Quinn, author of The Empress of Rome Saga

Four unforgettable characters are tested during a war between Rome and Etruscan Veii.

Caecilia has long been torn between her birthplace of Rome and her adopted city of Veii. Yet faced with mounting danger to her husband, children, and Etruscan freedoms, will her call to destroy Rome succeed?

Pinna has clawed her way from prostitute to the concubine of the Roman general Camillus. Deeply in love, can she exert her own power to survive the threat of exposure by those who know her sordid past?

Semni, a servant, seeks forgiveness for a past betrayal. Will she redeem herself so she can marry the man she loves?

Marcus, a Roman tribune, is tormented by unrequited love for another soldier. Can he find strength to choose between his cousin Caecilia and his fidelity to Rome?

The Cast of a Hand: Based on a True Story of Love and Murder in Second Empire France by G.S. Johnston One eBook copy - International

At dawn on the outskirts of Paris in 1869, Hortense Kinck lies buried alive and surrounded by five of her children. Violently attacked, tormented and trapped, she sifts through the truths and deceits of her marriage to self-made industrialist, Jean Kinck. Why had he lied?

France, snug in the prosperity of Napoleon III’s Second Empire, is shocked by the vicious destruction of the bourgeois Kinck family. Under pressure from his superiors, the Chief of Police, Monsieur Claude, must unravel the baffling connections between the family and a mysterious young man, Jean-Baptiste Troppmann, a cold case, a famous palmist and France’s rising tide of dissatisfaction with the Emperor Napoleon III.

The Cast of a Hand is an unforgettable love story and a murder mystery based on one of the most shocking crimes of 19th century Paris. GS Johnston’s razor sharp prose interweaves and cross-pollinates the two narratives, both desperately trying to arrive at the truth.

About G.S. Johnston
G.S. Johnston is the author of three historical novels, The Cast of a Hand (2015), The Skin of Water(2012) and Consumption(2011), noted for their complex characters and well-researched settings. In one form or another, Johnston has always written, at first composing music and lyrics. After completing a degree in pharmacy, a year in Italy re-ignited his passion for writing and he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. Feeling the need for a broader canvas, he started writing short stories and novels. Originally from Hobart, Tasmania, Johnston currently lives in Sydney, Australia.

WINNER - JORDANChildren of the Dark by Jonathan JanzOne signed print copy - U.S. only
Will Burgess is used to hard knocks. Abandoned by his father, son of a drug-addicted mother, and charged with raising his six-year-old sister, Will has far more to worry about than most high school freshmen. To make matters worse, Mia Samuels, the girl of Will’s dreams, is dating his worst enemy, the most sadistic upperclassman at Shadeland High. Will’s troubles, however, are just beginning.

Because one of the nation’s most notorious criminals—the Moonlight Killer—has escaped from prison and is headed straight toward Will’s hometown. And something else is lurking in Savage Hollow, the forest surrounding Will’s rundown house. Something ancient and infinitely evil. When the worst storm of the decade descends on Shadeland, Will and his friends must confront unfathomable horrors. Everyone Will loves—his mother, his little sister, Mia, and his friends—will be threatened.

About the author
Jonathan Janz grew up between a dark forest and a graveyard, and in a way, that explains everything. Brian Keene named his debut novel The Sorrows “the best horror novel of 2012.” The Library Journal deemed his follow-up, House of Skin, “reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Peter Straub’s Ghost Story.”

2013 saw the publication of his novel of vampirism and demonic possession The Darkest Lullaby, as well as his serialized horror novel Savage Species. Of Savage Species, Publishers Weekly said, “Fans of old-school splatterpunk horror–Janz cites Richard Laymon as an influence, and it shows–will find much to relish.” Jonathan’s Kindle Worlds novel Bloodshot: Kingdom of Shadows marked his first foray into the superhero/action genre.

Jack Ketchum called his vampire western Dust Devils a “Rousing-good weird western,” and his sequel to The Sorrows (Castle of Sorrows) was selected one of 2014’s top three novels by Pod of Horror. 2015 saw the release of The Nightmare Girl, which prompted Pod of Horror to call Jonathan “Horror’s Next Big Thing.” 2015 also saw the release of Wolf Land, which Publishers Weekly called “gruesome yet entertaining gorefest” with “an impressive and bloody climax.” He has also written four novellas (Exorcist Road, The Clearing of Travis Coble, Old Order, and Witching Hour Theatre) and several short stories.

His primary interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children, and though he realizes that every author’s wife and children are wonderful and amazing, in this case the cliché happens to be true. You can learn more about Jonathan at www.jonathanjanz.com. You can also find him on Facebook, via @jonathanjanz on Twitter, or on his Goodreads and Amazon author pages.

Praise for Children of the Dark

“Jonathan Janz brings us a vicious tale of terror with the innocence of youth in a coming of age tale that should surely make Stephen King smile.” – Dave, Beneath the Underground

“Jonathan Janz has written the next definitive coming-of-age horror novel that is sure to be mentioned alongside those that came before it. Be on the right side of history and read it now, before it becomes a classic.” –Patrick Lacey, author of A Debt to be Paid

Praise for Jonathan Janz

“Janz is the literary love child of Richard Laymon and Jack Ketchum (with a little Joe Lansdale DNA in the mix), with all the terror that implies. Try him out. You won’t be disappointed.” -Pod of Horror

“One of the best writers in modern horror to come along in the last decade. Janz is one of my new favorites.” –Brian Keene, best-selling author

“It’s the best of its kind I’ve read in years, such that I’d call it 'The Quintessential Haunted House Novel.' You’ve taken the old school traditions of the form which readers want and then have injected modern style, characters, and macabre, hard-edged mayhem into the guts of the story. THAT’S the way to do it, my friend!” -Author Edward Lee on House of Skin

“Jonathan Janz is one of the rare horror novelists who can touch your heart while chilling your spine. His work offers incisive characters, sharp dialogue, and more scares than a deserted graveyard after midnight. If you haven’t read his fiction, you’re missing out on one the best new voices in the genre.” –Tim Waggoner, multi-published author

"Fans of old-school splatterpunk horror--Janz cites Richard Laymon as an influence, and it shows--will find much to relish." - Publishers Weekly on Savage Species

Before the events of Damson's Distress, and indeed before Damson ever joined Captain Danaco and his crew, the men of the good ship Myrellenos had their own adventures.

The Leaf Flute is a prequel standalone novella about Danaco, Bartleby, and Rannig, following their time spent in Sesterna, where gang bosses reign, pilfering is legal, and a Lucentian pirate king and his crew are the only decent men about. A mission to save an emissary's effects becomes a quest to dismantle the entire Sesternese underground, and by the power of Rannig's musical prowess, Danaco's cunning, and Bartleby's rants, the black markets of Sesterna will never be so disrupted nor so thoroughly entertained.

This is a read-a-thon participant only giveaway. To be eligible, you must have signed up, participated and added a link to the official read-a-thon wrap-up post (I will give everyone until Wednesday {7/27} at 11:59 pm CDT to complete their wrap-ups) AND filled out the Google form below to show your interest in winning. We have a total of 20 prizes. This means there will be 20winners. I will award prizes on a first come, first served basis. I will draw the 20 winners with random.org and email all 20 at the same time. The first person who emails me back with their choice gets that prize. I will mark off the prizes as they are taken. In the event that we end up with left over prizes, you will have a chance to win a second (and perhaps third) prize. All eBook prizes will be sent to winner via email (or you will be given a coupon code) so please specify what format you require in your email. Winners will be chosen after the wrap-up post deadline (see above). Good luck!

Monday, July 18, 2016

Off we go! I hope everyone is ready for a week of relaxing Summer reading!. I know I am. I have a busy week ahead, but hoping I'll still be able to get some good reading time in as well.

I have some prizes lined up and I'll have the prize page posted by late Tuesday or Wednesday.

Devon at Howes Books is hosting a mini-challenge! We haven't had one of those in a LONG time. Thank you, Devon. The challenge is called A Letter to a Character and you can find out how it works over at Devon's blog here. The prize is a £10 Amazon E-voucher and you have all week to complete the challenge. Good luck and have fun!

If you have any questions about how things work, check out the guidelines tab above or the sign up post, or you can always leave me a comment (or send me a message via the contact form). The linky below is the same one as the sign up linky. If you do a starting line/goal post, just add your link again, but be sure to put "goal post" beside your name, i.e. Michelle/The True Book Addict (goal post).

I will post a mid-week check in post on Thursday. Our hashtag for the read-a-thon is#HSreadathon ...and don't forget about our Facebook group!

I think that about covers it. Happy Reading!

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A community for reading challenges and read-alongs
Challenges:
13 Ways of Looking at The Lifetime Reading Plan
The Fantasy Project
The Michener Challenge
The Never-Ending Anne Rice Challenge
A Non-Fiction Adventure
The Stephen King Challenge